Anti-Wrinkle Creams 8/22/11

Published On: Aug 22 2011 01:19:25 PM CDT

Photographer Cathy Pinsky often uses computer software to help people look their best. Cathy Pinsky, "I'll use Photoshop to minimize the wrinkles, take out some of the crow's feet, and my clients are thrilled. They just love that." Look at how the wrinkles disappear in this photo! But you can't just click away wrinkles in real life. Consumer Reports ShopSmart tested to see how well anti-wrinkle creams work. Jody Rohlena Consumer Reports ShopSmart Jody Rohlena, "We tested seven products with a really wide price range - from eight to 80 dollars!"

The creams included big names like L'Oréal and Lancôme, as well as Equate from Walmart and the CVS store brand. Jody Rohlena, "We used an outside lab and a total of 79 people. The test took 12 weeks. The people applied two different creams in the morning, one on each side of their face." The lab took "before" and "after" photos. Then Consumer Reports' sensory panelists examined the results - more than 600 photos in all. Panelists also evaluated the creams to assess how they feel on your skin, and their smell. Jody Rohlena, "All of the products smelled pretty good and they didn't leave much of a tacky residue behind, but they didn't make that much of a difference." After 12 weeks, only one cream did a little better than the others - Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift. But it only helped about half the people in the test. And as you can see in these before and after photos, the results are not very dramatic. Jody Rohlena, "The thing with wrinkles, once you get them, they're very hard to get rid of, so the best thing you can do is prevent them in the first place." To do that, stay out of the sun as much as possible. And wear sunscreen as well as a wide-brimmed, tightly woven hat when in the sun.